Blanketing will be followed by big chill Sunday night

What was originally forecast as a 2 to 4-inch snowstorm quickly evolved Saturday into the third-snowiest January day in Boulder's recorded history.

The city officially received 10.7 inches of snow Saturday, according to local meteorologist Matt Kelsch, with several inches of that already settled on the ground by daybreak.

That total nearly doubled the previous record for Jan. 4, set at 5.5 inches in 1913.

"We blew right past that," Kelsch said.

On top of that, Saturday's substantial storm left its mark on the record books as the third snowiest single January day in Boulder dating back to 1897.

The only days ahead of it, Kelsch said, were Jan. 8, 1962 when Boulder received 15.5 inches of snow, and Jan. 5, 2006 when 11.5 inches fell.

Boulder's total actually surpassed some of the reported totals at higher elevation areas in Boulder County, places forecasters expected to be hit much harder by the storm.

While 10 inches or more was expected in parts of the northern and central mountains, weather spotters working with the National Weather Service near Allenspark and Ward only reported 8 inches of new snow accumulation in their areas Saturday.

"It was favorable with the upslope that we had," Kyle Fredin, a meteorologist with the Weather Service in Boulder, said of the city's hefty accumulation.

Elsewhere in the county, spotters reported 5.7 inches of snow in Longmont and about 6 inches in Niwot, Fredin said.

A 40 percent chance of snow remains in the forecast for Boulder this morning, with highs of 15 to 19 degrees, before a plunge down to around 0 overnight, according to forecasts.

Monday should bring a warm-up in the Boulder area, with a high in the upper 20s under mostly sunny skies.

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